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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wax — to grow
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. object — a thing
  10. race — humankind
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. prune — to trim
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com